Jesus was captain of the lord's host

JESUS WAS CAPTAIN OF THE LORD'S HOST
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Joshua 5:14 14"Neither,"he replied, "but as
commander of the army of the LORD I have now
come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in
reverence, and asked him, "Whatmessage does my
LORD have for his servant?"
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
The Captain Of The Church
Joshua 5:13-15
E. De Pressense
At the very time when the battle of Israelagainstthe idolators of the land of
Canaanwas about to commence, Joshua saw a mysterious warrior stand
before him sword in hand. "Art thou for us or for our enemies?" he cried. "I
am come," is the answer, as Captain of the Lord's host.
I. THIS DIVINE CAPTAIN HAS NEVER LEFT THE ARMY OF THE
HOLY, though He may NOT AT ALL TIMES have made Himself VISIBLE.
He was with the Church when it entered upon the conflict with the old world.
Weak, insignificant, without power, and without prestige as it was, His sword
of fire sufficed to ensure it the victory. It was He whom Luther saw in the
dawn of the Reformationmorning, when he sang:"The Son of God goes forth
to war."
II. This Divine personage is the same with whom Jacobwrestledall the night
at the Ford Jahbok. He begins by turning His sword againstHis own soldiers,

and plunges it deep into their hearts to destroy their pride and sin. Blessed
wounding, which makes them in the end more than conquerors, and Israelites
indeed. We must not, then, marvel if, often in the early stages ofits warfare,
the Church is humbled, foiled, for a time it might seemalmost crushed.
Neither should we be surprised if the Christian soul is made victorious only
through suffering. Soonthe Divine Captain will take command of the host
which He has disciplined, and will leadthem on to victory. This Captain is the
very same whom St. John saw in vision with a flaming swordin His mouth. He
is the Word made flesh, the Redeemer(Revelation5.). He Himself was
wounded before He triumphed. The conquering Head of the Church is "Jesus,
who was crucified." - E. DE P.
Biblical Illustrator
Nay; but as Captain of the host of the Lord.
Joshua 5:13-15
The warrior Christian
F. B. Meyer, B. A.
I. THE SPECIALSIGNIFICANCE OF THIS VISION TO JOSHUA. "The
Lord's host" does not primarily allude to those Israelite armies encamped
beside the overflowing waters of the Jordan, but to other and invisible hosts
encamped all around on those heights, though no earever heard the call of the
sentries at their posts of duty, or saw the sheenof their swords flashing in the
sunlight, or beheld their marshalled ranks. Those troops of harnessedangels
were the hosts of which this wondrous Warrior was captain. The story of the
conquestof Canaanis not simply the accountof battles fought betweenIsrael
and the Canaanites, but of the results of a conflict yet more mysterious and
far-reaching betweenthe bright squadrons that follow the lead of the captain
of the Lord's host, and the dark battalions of evil entrenched in the hearts and
strongholds of the enemies of God. Is it, therefore, any cause for wonder that

the walls of Jericho fell down; or that vast armies were scatteredwithout a
blow being struck; or that the land was subdued in a sevenyears' campaign?
These achievements were the earthly and visible results of victories won in the
heavenly and spiritual sphere by armies which follow the Word of God upon
'white horses, clothedin fine linen, white and pure. Those walls fell down
because smitten by the impact of celestialhosts. Thosearmies fled because the
dark powers with which they were in league had been put to the rout before
the Lord God of Sabaoth.
II. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS VISION TO THE CHURCH.
Throughout the world of nature there are signs of conflict and collision. There
is no pool, howevertranquil; no forest-glade, howeverpeaceful;no isle bathed
by southern seas,and setgem-like on the breast of ocean, however
enchanting; no scene, howeverfascinating, whichis not sweptby opposing
squadrons contending for victory. The swift pursue their prey, the strong
devour the weak, the fittest alone survive in the terrific strife. So it has been in
the history of our race. The books that contain the records of the past are
largely records of wars and decisive battles. Their pages are wetwith tears
and blood. The foundations of vast empires have been laid, like those of
African palaces, onthe writhing bodies of dying men. For the student of God's
ways all this leads up to a more tremendous struggle betweendarkness and
light, evil and good, Satanand our King. And here is the real importance of
the ascension, whichwas the worthy climax of the wonders of the first advent,
as it will introduce the glories of the second.
III. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS VISION TO OURSELVES. We
sometimes feellonely and discouraged. The hosts with which we are
accustomedto co-operate are resting quietly in their tents. No one seems able
to enter into our anxieties and plans. Our Jerichos are so formidable — the
neglectedparish, the empty church, the hardened congregation, the godless
household. How can we ever capture these, and hand them over to the Lord,
like dismantled castles, forHim to occupy? That problem at first baffles us,
and appears insoluble. Then we vow it shall be untied, and summon all our
wit and energy to solve it. We study the methods of others and copy them;
deliver our best addresses andsermons, put forth herculeanexertions. We
adopt exciting advertisements and questionable methods, borrowed from the

world. Suppose Israelhad taken lessons inscaling walls and taking fenced
cities from the Canaanites!Or that the people had made an attack on Jericho
with might and main, determined to find or make a breach! Finally, in our
hours of disappointment, when we have tried our best in vain, and have fallen,
as the sea birds who dash themselves againstthe lighthouse tower fall to the
foot with brokenwing, it is well to go forth alone, confessing ourhelplessness,
and tarrying for the vision, for we shall then be likeliestto see the Captain of
the Lord's host. He will undertake our cause, He will marshal His troops and
win the day, He will fling the walls of Jericho to the ground.
(F. B. Meyer, B. A.)
The armed angel of the covenant appearing to Joshua
W. J. Chapman, M. A.
I. JOSHUA WENT FORTHTO BE ALONE WITH GOD. The hour, thought
of for forty years, had now arrived; the campaignwas about to begin, and
everything devolved upon him. No Moses now to direct him. There was the
impregnable fortress before him. A long siege or a speedycapture alike
impossible. A dilemma. He knelt for guidance.
II. THE LORD CAME TO BE ALONE WITH JOSHUA.
1. To Abram, a wanderer, He appearedas a wayfarer;to Jacob, distressedat
the prospectof a conflict with his brother, He appeared as a wrestlerwho
allowedhimself to be overcome;and now, to the warrior, He showedHimself
as a warrior. This teaches that there is no condition of life in which we shall
not find the Lord Jesus in full sympathy with His people.
2. Joshua's doubt; whether He was for or againsthim was soonsetat rest. So
will yours, if your heart is right with Him.
3. When Joshua knew who He was, he fell upon his face and worshipped. We
have a like assurance thatJoshua had. "All power is given unto Me." "Lo, I
am with you alway." But if this be really given to us by the Holy Ghost, our
attitude will be like Joshua's.

(1)Deeplyreverential (Isaiah 6:5).
(2)Entirely submissive to the Divine will (Acts 9:6).
4. The first thing the Lord required — "Loose thy shoe," &c. So now, Leave
worldly cares, cutoff carnalindulgences, and give yourself up wholly to Me."
"And Joshua did so... And the Lord saidunto Joshua, See, I have given into
thine hand, Jericho," &c. A similar promise is given to us. Jericho is a type of
the world (John 16:33; Romans 8:31; 1 John 4:4). The promise was definite:
"I have given." That setJoshua's mind at rest. Have we not many a promise
us definite? Why should we fear? (see 1 John 5:4).
5. But faith does not mean sitting still and doing nothing. The land was given
to them, but they had to conquer every foot of it. The Christian conflict is no
less a conflictbecause "a fight of faith."In order to conquer in "the goodfight
of faith," we want —
1. The readiness of faith, which is found only in our realisedperfectstanding
in Christ.
2. The prayer of faith.
3. Faith's recognitionof the Divine presence.
4. Faith's reverential submission to the Divine will.
5. Faith's energetic obedience to the Divine commands.
(W. J. Chapman, M. A.)
The Captain of the Lord's host still with us
D. Davies.
We see in Joshua an observantman meditating over the plans of the morrow,
and turning in upon his ownthoughts and reflections, yet quick to note the
presence ofa danger. Every commander of men must have an eye in his head.
He must be quick to note the presence ofa foe or to detect danger. He must
watchas wellas meditate and pray. Joshua was quick to take in his

surroundings, while he carefully weighedproblems which pressedthemselves
upon him. What was he to do? It was when face to face with that perplexing
question that Joshua lookedup and saw an armed man. Could he let that man
go unchallenged? Nay, he must have the courage to go up to him. That
courage was the necessarycondition of the revelationwhich Joshua was about
to receive. The cowards in the Lord's army never receive such a vision as this,
but the men who have forgottenthemselves in their desire to serve their Lord.
Now observe what Joshua first received. He receiveda clearrevelationthat
the One to whom he had spokenwas far greaterthan he had ever imagined
Him to be. In other words, that the Captain of the Lord's host, who alone
could ensure victory, was nearerto him than he had ever dreamed. Again,
notice that the characterofthis revelation was adaptedto the nature of the
circumstances by which Joshua was surrounded. Now, when God appearedto
Moses,He did not reveal Himself in the form of an armed man. He appeared
to him in a flame of fire — a flame which lit up the bush, but did not consume
it. Then God appearedin the mystery of fire: and that was just the kind of
revelation that Moses needed. But now things were different. Joshua had to
pass through experiences through which even Moses had not to pass. The
religion of God had been now established. The law had been given, even the
ceremonialinstructions had been supplied; but now the nation had to find
their way into the possessionofthe promised land, God had given them
Canaan, it is true, but it was only on condition that they should, in His
strength, conquer the inhabitants of Canaan. Thus the revelationwhich
Joshua needednow was that God would fight for them and with them. He
therefore appeared before Joshua, not as a flame of fire, but an armed man,
with His swordunsheathed. Joshua thus learnt that the result of the conflict
was not dependent upon his wisdom in planning, or upon his courage in
prosecuting the campaign. This was supremely all Joshua neededto know. It
is this that gives courage to all the true servants of the Lord — the assurance
that they have merely to obey the command of their King in detail, leaving all
the restwith Him. Next observe that the conditions of being permitted to
receive any command from the Divine Captain arc reverence and faith. No
man can receive from Him orders for battle until he has learned to take the
warrior's sandal from off his foot and bow in submissiveness before the great
Captain of his salvation. It was when Joshua had learned the truest reverence,

when he had realisedthat the very place upon which he stoodwas holy, that
the greatsecretwas givenhim how to take Jericho. The Lord bade Joshua
order the priests first of all take the ark, and then command sevenpriests to
blow the "seventrumpets of ram's horns" before the ark of the Lord, &c.
That was an extraordinary command, and an extraordinary assurance, and
they required very exceptionalfaith in God to act upon them. But the
possessionofthat faith was the condition of victory. So is it still; if we have a
similar faith, the triumph is ours. Now think for a moment of Joshua's
thoughts after all this. He would soliloquise:"I have mourned overthe loss of
Moses:I mourn over it still; but now I see as I never did before that there is
One who canmake up for that loss. I have not to look to Moses,but to the
Masterwho gave Moseshis commission:and if obeying His command is all
that is necessaryfor me, I too canbe leader." The Lord's cause does not
depend upon the life of any hero, howevergreathe may be, and the prosperity
of the gospelthe wide world over shall not be restrained by any loss, but as
long as the Church is faithful to its privileges and ready to obey the Master's
command, we as the Lord's army shall go on conquering and to conquer, until
at last the shout of victory will be heard, and every Jericho of worldliness and
iniquity will be laid low.
(D. Davies.)
Timely aid
W. H. Matthews.
I. THE TIME OF HIS APPEARANCE.
1. After attending to "religious duties," "circumcision" and the "Passover."
Joshua knew what kind of beginning was likely to end well; unlike a number
of modern Christians.
2. While pursuing his appointed work. "By Jericho." Probably alone, yet
fearless ofdanger. "By Jericho" for some important purpose. God visits the
working man. Moses, Gideon, David, Elisha, sons of Zebedee. The covetous
and idle are rarely called by God to great work.

II. THE MANNER OF HIS APPEARANCE.
1. As supreme in command: "Captain of the Lord's host." Captain over
Joshua. Whateverbe our abilities, our titles, or our claims to office, we must
yield them all up to the "Captainof the Lord's host."
2. As the very friend Joshua needed — in the characterand dress of a soldier.
3. As justifying the war in which he was about to engage. There are wars in
which God will engage — againstsin and the devil. The victories of the
Church are bloodless.
4. As encouraging him to wage it valiantly. "Drawnsword." Readyto take the
defensive or the offensive. To Abraham He said, "I am thy shield." To the
disciple He said, "Follow Me."
III. OUR DUTY IN RELATION TO SUCH AN APPEARANCE.
1. To be found evincing an interest in Israel. "Joshua was by Jericho."
2. To be ready to lay ourselves atJesus'feet, saying, "What saith my Lord
unto His servant." Sayanything, Lord, and I will do it. Appoint me any work,
and I am ready to perform it.
(W. H. Matthews.)
The Captain of the Lord's host
H. H. Gowen.
"Art thou for us or for our adversaries?"There is a greatdeal in this bold
challenge which commends itself to our admiration. Joshua knew of no
neutrality in the warfare of God. The strangermust be friend or enemy.
Joshua was not like so many Christian soldiers of to-day, who, before
declaring their principles, wait to find out their company, trimming
themselves to the breeze, very pious with the pious, indifferent with the
indifferent, and openly irreligious with the irreligious. But there is something
amiss with the question, for it is rebuked. Joshua made the mistake of

thinking of the warfare in which he was engagedas having the two sides —
"our side" and "the other side." Whoeverapproachedthe host must come to
aid "us" or oppose "us." And this view was all wrong. It was just like the
Homeric idea of the gods descending to earth as partisans in human strifes,
Apollo patronising the diligent offerer of hecatombs, Venus favouring this or
that one of her mortal kindred. It was like the Romans expecting Castorand
Pollux in their van to spreaddismay in the opposing hosts. It was an idea of
God which the Jews gotin a certainstage of their national history, an idea of
God as a patron deity, a national divinity, just as Chemosh was the national
divinity of Moab. In due time, when the exclusive national spirit had done its
work, this idea was destined to be sweptaway. The vision rebukes it now.
"Nay," he says, "notfor you, nor yet for your adversaries, amI come, but —
as Captain of the Lord's host am I now come." "Notas a partisan," he would
say, "but as a Prince am I come. Notsuch as you deem me am I, a welcome
ally or a hated foe, come to mingle in the clashand din of earthly warfare, but
as captain of an army in which Israelforms but one tiny battalion, I am come
to take my place and give my intructions." What a struggle must have taken
place in the mind of Joshua!Was not he the captain, divinely chosenby God,
and consecratedby the laying on of the hands of Moses?Did not this matter
touch the dignity of his office? At any rate, we may be sure — for Joshua was
a man — that it touched his pride. Justas he was so full of plans, perhaps had
got everything ready for the attack on Jericho, had seenexactlyhow this wall
was to be scaled, how that apparently impregnable tower was to be battered
down, how the troops were to be disposed with the certainty of victory — an
unknown One comes to him, levels all his plans to the ground with a word,
and proclaims Himself the Captain of the host. Longfellow tells the story of
the same conflictin "King Robert of Sicily," but there is a difference. King
Robert requires years of humiliation and discipline to bring him to the
confessionallmust make before the Captain; Joshua wins his battle on the
spot — a battle which showedhis fitness for leadership more than when he
fought with Amalek at Rephidim. And he won it, as many of the greatbattles
in the world's history — although they have not scarredthe fair fields of earth
— have been won — on his knees. No longerlooking up, he falls with his face
to the earth. Oh, what bitter pain and self-abasementwere there in that
moment when the strong soldier of Israelbowed himself to the dust! Who can

say how hard the struggle was? We are only told that the battle was won.
"What saith my Lord unto His servant?" Then the Captain of the Lord's host
gives His orders, tells of His plan — not at all like the plans of Joshua — how
Jericho is to be taken, not by might or Strength of armed men, but by the
blast of the Spirit of God toppling down the stupendous walls in which the
heathen Canaanites put their trust.
1. Oh, that we imitated Joshua in his vigilance!We, too, are in the promised
land. But Canaan, for us, as for Israel, is a battle-field. Enemies prowl around,
mighty fortressesofevil frown before us, and it is only our blindness which
prevents us from seeing the momentous issues whichdepend upon our
wakefulness.Do we ponder much and often upon the charge laid upon us? Do
we often rise from slumber, leave the host of sleepers, andgo out alone to
survey the field of the approaching battle? Let us not shrink from challenging
the unknown influences which at such times touch our lives. "Try the spirits,"
says St. John; goodor evil, they must be challenged, for God has made us
creatures of choice, andHe has willed that by choice (and not by instinct) we
must obey Him. This is the mark of our manhood, the mark which
distinguishes us from the beasts.
2. But let us avoid Joshua's error. There is no "our side" in the matter. There
is God's side, and the side againstGod. The Persianpoet, Jellaladeen, tells us
that, "One knockedatthe Beloved's door, and a voice askedfrom within,
'Who is there? ' and he answered, 'It is I.' Then the voice said, 'This house will
not hold me and thee'; and the door was not opened. Then went the lover into
the desertand fastedand prayed in solitude, and after a year he returned and
knockedagainat the door; and againthe voice asked, 'Who is there?'and he
said, 'It is thyself'; and the door opened to him." All true Christian warriors
have, with Joshua, learnedthis utter renunciation of self. The Jehu spirit,
"Come and see my zealfor the Lord," is banished, and the spirit of Paul takes
its place, "yet not I, but Christ that dwelleth in me."
(H. H. Gowen.)
The heavenly Captain of the Lord's host

G. W. Butler, M. A.
I. THE TIME OF THE VISION.
1. It was immediately after God had been publicly honoured and soughtin His
ordinances. Christian, wouldst thou see Jesus?Thenconsecrate thyselfanew
to the service of thy God, and seek Him in the employment of the means of
grace. Especiallyexercise faithin the Lamb of God, and feed upon the paschal
sacrifice in thy heart by faith. Honour thy God by thy devotion, and He shall
honour thee by revelations of His glory and His grace.
2. It was immediately before the mighty campaignwith the Canaanites.This is
often the method of God's procedure. When a greattrial is at hand, great
revelations of His glory; transporting experiences of His presence are given in
anticipation. It was thus with our Divine MasterHimself. Before His
temptation, the heavens were opened to His view; the Spirit descendedupon
Him in bodily shape;the audible voice of the Fatherdeclaredthat Father's
love, relationship, and approval of Him. It was thus, again, that the disciples
were strengthenedto bear the trial to their faith in the betrayal, suffering, and
death of Jesus.
II. THE ASPECT OF THE VISION. Joshua's questionis not the utterance of
doubt and distrust, but rather of a hope and an expectationthat crave a fuller
confirmation. It is like the prayer of David, "Sayunto my soul, 'I am thy
salvation.'" Oh, it is a solemn thing to see the naked swordin the hand of the
destroying angelstanding over againstus: a petition for a reassuring word
from Him who wields that sword is no disgrace to a believer. A humble soul
that is taught of God to know what sin is must ofttimes be conscious ofsin and
guilt enough to justify a prayer for a renewalof assurance,and to prompt the
anxious question, "Art Thou for us, or for our adversaries?"
III. THE COMMUNICATION OF THE VISION. Lessons:
1. Let unsaved sinners read here a lessonof terror and alarm, and heed the
call to repentance. His swordis in His hand. But still, still His long-suffering
mercy defers the stroke of judgment. Wilt thou not repent and believe the
gospel?

2. To those who have acceptedHis offer of grace, and who plead His precious
blood as their title to pardon, there is nothing to dread in the personof their
Saviour. Do you belong to the Lord's host? Then bow your heads and
worship, for as Captain of the Lord's host is He now come. Say, can you trust
this heavenly Guardian? Will you follow this heavenly Guide? He claims these
of us all — full confidence, entire obedience.
3. Note that while God's people are reassuredand delivered from the fear that
hath torment, there is a reverence and godly fear, from which they are not
excused, but with which it is their duty to approachtheir Saviour. This is the
symbolism of the loosing ofthe shoe.
(G. W. Butler, M. A.)
Captain of the Lord's host
A London Clergyman.
I. THE RELATION HERE INDICATED BETWEEN CHRIST AND HIS
PEOPLE. Ruler, Defender, and Leader of the Church on earth.
1. This He is by virtue of the sufferings and conquests of Calvary.
2. By the free choice of His people.
II. THE CHARACTER AND OFFICE IN WHICH JESUS HERE
MANIFESTS HIMSELF. Warriorwith drawn sword(Revelation1:16).
III. THE POSITION AND DUTY DEVOLVING UPON CHRISTIANS IN
CONSEQUENCEOF THIS RELATION TO CHRIST, The true ideal of the
Christian is not that of the shepherd with crook and pipe on sunny hillside; or
even that of the pilgrim slowly toiling on, and leaning on his stall'; but rather
that of the soldier, with shield and helmet, fighting his way againstdoubts that
agitate his mind, againstfears that even disturb the serenity of hope, against
fiery passions that threaten to overmasterhis patience, againstthe flesh in all
its varied forms of opposition to the Spirit, againstthe world and its
allurements, againstinvisible enemies, &c. Overand above these single-

handed conflicts with our foes, we are calledupon as soldiers of the Cross to
march forward with the host againstenvy, and wickedness, and sin; to fight
for the overthrow of Satan's stronghold, at home and abroad.
IV. CHRIST'S RELATION TO THE CHURCH INVOLVES THE
ASSURANCE OF ALL NEEDED GRACE AND POWER FOR THE
WARFARE. We have His word to direct us, His Spirit to give strength and
guidance, His love to inspire us with zeal, His promise to assure us that the
conflict shall end in victory.
(A London Clergyman.)
Joshua's vision
I. REALISE THE FACT OF THE DIVINE PRESENCE. JesusHimself comes
to this holy war. Joshua saw a man clad in armour, equipped for war. Cannot
the eyes of your faith see the same? There He stands, Jesus, Godover all,
blessedfor ever, yet a man. Not carnally, but still in real truth, Jesus is where
His people meet together. Joshua saw Him with His swordin His hand. Oh,
that Christ might come in our midst with the swordof the Spirit in His hand;
come to effect deeds of love but yet deeds of power;come with His two-edged
swordto smite our sins, to cut to the heart His adversaries, to slay their
unbelief, to lay their iniquities dead before Him. The swordis drawn, not
scabbarded, as alas!it has been so long in many Churches, but made bare for
present active use. It is in His hand, not in the minister's hand, not even in an
angel's hand, but the sworddrawn is in His hand. Oh, what powerthere is in
the gospelwhenJesus holds the hilt, and what gashes it makes into hearts that
were hard as adamant when Jesus cuts right and left at the hearts and
consciencesofmen! The glorious man whom Joshua saw was on his side. In
the midst of His Church, Christ carries a sword only for the purposes of love
to His people. The Divine presence, there, is what we desire, and if we have it
faith at once is encouraged. It was enough for the army of Cromwell to know
that He was there, the ever victorious, the irresistible, to lead on his Ironsides
to the fray. Many a time the presence of an old Romangeneralwas equal to
another legion; as soonas the cohorts perceivedthat he was come whose eagle

eye watchedevery motion of the enemy, and whose practisedhand led his
battalions upon the most salient points of attack, eachman's blood leaped
within him, and he graspedhis swordand rushed forward secure ofsuccess.
Our King is in the midst of us, and our faith should be in active exercise. "If
God be for us, who canbe againstus?" When the King is with His people,
then hope is greatly encouraged, forsaith she, "Who canstand againstthe
Lord of hosts?" Where Jesus is, love becomes inflamed, for oh I of all the
things in the world that can set the heart burning, there is nothing like the
presence ofJesus. A glimpse of Him will overcome us, so that we shall be
almost ready to say, "Turn awayThine eyes from me, for they have overcome
me." Suppose that Christ is here. His presence will be most clearly
ascertainedby those who are most like Him. Joshua was favoured with this
sight because he alone had eyes that could bear it. I would that all of you were
Joshuas;but if not, if but some shall perceive Him, we shall still receive a
blessing. I am sure this presence ofChrist will be neededby us all. Go not to
warfare at your own charges, but wait upon your Master, tarrying at
Jerusalemuntil ye be endued with powerfrom on high. But Jesus Christ's
presence may be had. Do not despond and saythat in the olden times the
MasterrevealedHimself, but He will not do so now. He will, He will. His
promise is as goodas ever.
II. UNDERSTAND THE LORD'S POSITION IN THE MIDST OF HIS
PEOPLE. "As Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come." Whata relief
this must have been for Joshua. Perhaps he thought himself the captain; but
now the responsibility was takenfrom him; he was to be the lieutenant, but
the King Himself would marshal His hosts. WhereverChrist is, we must
recollectthat He is Commander-in-chief to us all. We must never tolerate in
the Church any greatman to domineer over us: we must have no one to be
Lord and Mastersave Jesus. Downwith thee, self, down with thee! Carnal
judgment and foolish reason, lie still! Let the Word of God be paramount
within the soul, all opposition being hushed. If we do not act with the Captain,
disappointment will be sure to follow. One action brought defeatupon Israel.
III. Our third rule is, WORSHIP HIM WHO IS PRESENT WITHUS.
Joshua, it is said, fell on his face to the earth. Worship is the highest elevation
of the spirit, and yet the lowliestprostrationof the soul, Worship the Son of

God! Then, when you have so done, give up yourself to His command: sayto
Him, "Whatsaith my Lord unto His servant?" When you have done this, I
want you to imitate Joshua in the third thing, namely, put off your shoes from
off your feet. Joshua, perhaps, had not felt what a solemn thing it was to fight
for God, to fight as God's executioneragainstcondemned men. He must put
his shoes off, therefore. We never canexpect a blessing if we go about God's
work flippantly.
IV. To conclude, let us now ADVANCE TO ACTION, according to the
Master's command. Unconverted men and women, you are our Jericho, we
wish to conquer you for Christ.
( C. H. Spurgeon.)
A. Maclaren, D. D.
I. A TRANSIENT REVELATION OF AN ETERNAL TRUTH. You will
observe that there run throughout the whole of the Old Testamentnotices of
the occasionalmanifestationof a mysterious personwho is named "the
Angel," "the Angel of the Lord," and who, in a remarkable manner, is
distinguished from the createdhosts of angel beings, and also is distinguished
from, and yet in name, attributes, and worship all but identified with, the
Lord Himself. If we turn to the New Testament, we find that there under
another image the same strain of thought is presented. The Word of God, who
from everlasting "was with God, and was God," is representedas being the
Agent of Creation, the source of all human illumination, the director of
Providence, the Lord of the Universe. "By Him were all things, and in Him all
things consist." So, surely, these two halves make a whole;and the Angel of
the Lord, separate and yet so strangelyidentified with Jehovah, who at the
crises ofthe nation's history, and stages ofthe development of the process of
revelation, is manifested, and the Eternal Word of God, whom the New
Testamentreveals to us, are one and the same. The eternalorder of the
universe is before us here. It only remains to say a word in reference to the

sweepof the command which our vision assigns to the Angel of the Lord.
"Captainof the Lord's host" means a greatdeal more than the true General
of Israel's little army. It does mean that, or the words and the vision would
ceaseto have relevance and bearing on the moment's circumstances andneed.
But it includes also, as the usage of Scripture would sufficiently show, if it
were needful to adduce instances ofit, all the ordered ranks of loftier
intelligent beings, and all the powers and forces of the universe. These are
conceivedof as an embattled host, comparable to an army in the strictness of
their discipline and their obedience to a single will. It is the modern thought
that the universe is a Cosmos andnot a Chaos, an orderedunit, with the
addition of the truth beyond the reach and range of science, thatits unity is
the expressionofa personalwill. That is the truth which was flashed from the
unknown like a vanishing meteorin the midnight before the face of Joshua
and which stands like the noonday sun, unsetting and irradiating for us who
live under the gospel.
II. THE LEADER OF ALL THE WARFARE AGAINST THE WORLD'S
EVIL. "The Captain of the Lord's host." He Himself takes part in the fight.
He is not like a generalwho, on some safe knoll behind the army, sends his
soldiers to death, and keeps his own skinwhole. But He has fought, and He is
fighting. Do you remember that wonderful picture in two halves, at the end of
one of the Gospels, "The Lord went up into heaven," &c "they went forth
everywhere preaching the Word"? Strange contrastbetweenthe repose ofthe
seatedChrist and the toils of His peripatetic servants!Yes. Strange contrast;
but the next words harmonise the two halves of it: "The Lord also working,"
&c. The leaderdoes not so rest as that he does not fight; and the servants do
not need so to fight as that they cannot rest. Thus the old legends of many a
land and tongue have a glorious truth in them to the eye of faith, and at the
head of all the armies that are charging againstany form of the world's
misery and sin there moves the form of the Son of Man, whose aid we have to
invoke, even from His crownedrepose at the right hand of God. If this, then,
be for us, as truly as for Joshua and his host, a revelationof who is our true
leader, surely all of us in our various degrees, andespeciallyany of us who
have any "Quixotic crusade" for the world's good on our consciencesandon
our hands, may take the lessons and the encouragements thatare here. Own

your leader. That is one plain duty. And recognisethis fact, that by no other
powerthan by His, and with no other weapons than those which He puts into
our hands, in His Cross and meekness,cana world's evils be overcome, and
the victory be wonfor the right and the truth. We may have, we shall have, in
all enterprises for God and man that are worth doing, need of patience, just as
the army of Israelhad to parade for six wearydays round Jericho blowing
their useless trumpets, whilst the impregnable walls stoodfirm, and the
defenders flouted and jeeredtheir aimless procession. Butthe seventh day will
come, and at the trumpet blast down will go the loftiest ramparts of the cities
that are walled up to heaven, with a rush and a crash, and through the dust
and over the ruined rubbish Christ's soldiers will march and take possession.
Do not make Joshua's mistake. "Art thou for us?" Nay! "Thouart for Me."
That is a very different thing. There is a greatdeal that calls itself, after
Jehu's fashion, "my zeal for the Lord," which is nothing better than zeal for
my ownnotions and their preponderance. Therefore we must strip ourselves
of all that, and not fancy that the cause is ours, and then graciouslyadmit
Christ to help us, but recognise thatit is His, and lowly submit ourselves to
His direction, and what we do, do, and when we fight, fight, in His name, and
for His sake.
III. THE ALLY IN ALL OUR WARFARE WITH OURSELVES. That is the
worstfight. Far worse than all external foes are the foes that eachman carries
about in his own heart. In that slow hand-to-hand and foot-to-footstruggle I
do not believe that there is any conquering power available for a man that can
for a moment be comparedwith the powerthat comes through submission to
Christ's command and acceptanceofChrist's help. He has fought every foot
of the ground before us.
IV. THE POWER WHICH IT IS MADNESS TO RESIST. Think of this
vision. Think of the deep truths, partially shadowedand symbolised by it.
Think of Christ, what He is, and what resources He has at His back, ofwhat
are His claims for our service, and loyal, militant obedience. Think of the
certain victory of all who follow Him amongstthe armies of heaven, clad in
fine linen, cleanand white. Think of the crownand the throne for him that
overcomes. Rememberthe destructive powers that sleepin Him; the drawn
swordin His hand; the two-edgedswordout of His mouth; the wrath of the

Lamb. Think of the ultimate certain defeatof all antagonisms;of that last
campaignwhen He goes forth with the name written on His vesture and on
His thigh, "King of kings, and Lord of lords." Think of how He strikes
through kings in the day of His wrath, and fills the place with the bodies of the
dead; and how His enemies become His footstool. PonderHis own solemn
Word, "He that is not with Me is againstMe." There is no neutrality in this
warfare. Either we are for Him or we are for His adversary.
(A. Maclaren, D. D.)
A strengthening vision
J. C. Edgehill, D. D.
(a Sermon to Soldiers): — The vision described in the text was God's way of
teaching Joshua. It revealedto him the important truth, it showedhim that
the secretsource ofall splendid achievements was in the strength that comes
from the realisedunion betweenGod and man. When and where did this
vision come to Joshua? It was on the eve of an expectedbattle. At any moment
the first blood might be shed. Uncertainty was in every heart. Men recounted
to eachother as they walkedsilently about the camp the wonderful doings of
Jehovah, their God. These Israelitishsoldiers gatheredhope from the past for
the future, and so stooderectfor expectedduty. But it was a moment of
supreme anxiety, for an untried matter lay before them. It was a moment of
supreme anxiety, and heart-sickening suspense to every soldier who stood
before that first stronghold they had to attack. Whatmust it be to Joshua the
commander-in-chief? Earnestthoughts about his duty, about his
responsibility, would surely rise up within him at such a moment, and his
heart must well-nigh faint at the difficulties and the dangers. Did ever soldier
meet greaterencouragement?At that moment, then, when Joshua for the first
time was face to face with the difficulties and the dangers of that unexpected
campaign, at this place with the grim fortifications frowning round him, this
vision of the text appeared. It was an answerto that which was going on
within him. It was a striking vision; the appearance ofa soldier ready for
battle to a soldier. But what did this man with the drawn swordin his hand

mean? Joshua knew a conflictwas certain, that there was a long and severe
campaignbefore him, but what was it, victory or defeat? What about the
issue? The vision leaves Joshua stillin uncertainty and doubt, and so with a
soldier-like promptness and courage he goes up to the man, and the thought
that is in his heart appears at the very abruptness of the question: "Art thou
for us, or for our adversaries?"Thatwas what Joshua wantedto know. But
no direct answerwas given; insteadcame the majestic words: "Nay, but as
Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come." I am thy fellow-soldier, but I
belong to another army. I was with Moses as a guiding angel;I will be with
thee as a soldier, the commander, the orderer of the battle. Thou needst not
fear; to thy army there is a reserve of which thou knowestnothing. The Lord
of hosts is with thee, the Godof Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacobis on thy
side. He arranges all this battlefield: thou needst not fear; thou art safe under
His protection. So God spoke to Joshua, and the watchful soldierunderstood
the messagethatwas given to him, he recognisedthe reviving vision and
bowed before the Divine presence. Faithin God is a great inducement to a
goodheroic life; the enthusiasm of faith is strength: "All things are possible to
him that believeth." But what does this vision of the man with the drawn
swordin his band reveal to us? Surely, first of all we are able to recognise this
truth, that a soldier's life ought to be, must be, may be, lookedupon as a
vocationfrom God. The essence ofan ideal soldier's life is self-sacrifice. To do
your work because you must, to do it as slavery, to do as little of it as possible,
to get awayfrom it as soonas you can, and then to find your amusementor
your pleasure in some wild form of self-indulgence, that is unsoldierlike and
wrong. The Cross of Christ is the true symbol of a soldier's life. Self-sacrifice
should mark it; duty to God and duty to man is that which lies hidden in its
uniform. And again, surely the vision teaches us this, that in like emergencies
English soldiers and Englishcommanders may expectthe same Divine
revelation, a man with a drawn swordin his hand to appear to them. "I never
knew," saida cultured Christian officerto me, "I never knew the delight of
God's presence, I never realisedit so thoroughly, as when in the darkness of
the night we were crossing the deserts of Egypt to the unknown dangers of
Tel-el-Kebir." And surely in these days of newness, whennot only is a new
England rising up about us, but a new army with new weapons, andwith new
modes of warfare and unexplored campaigns in the distance, it behoves us to

believe that whenever war comes, if it be undertaken for the goodof men and
the glory of God, this vision of the man with the drawn sword in his hand will
lead our army and inspire our officers and soldiers to noble deeds. This vision
came to Joshua, but Joshua had a prepared heart. A man can only see that
which he is prepared to see. Such a vision would not come to unprepared
souls. Joshua had learned the lessons offighting successfulbattles long ago.
Years before this the first battle that Israelhad ever fought, that at Rephidim,
had been gainedwhen Joshua was the leader, the chosenselectedleader. An
able, young, and capable leader he was then, and the army was made up of
picked men. He was brave and enduring, and everything seemedto be on the
side of the Israelites, but yet the final force was not with the fighting men, but
up on the mountain-side. The final force was in the uplifting of hoary men's
hands to God. Moses andAaron and Hur, old men, stood on the mountain
side and supplicated Godwhile the young men fought. How goes the battle, do
you want to know? You must watchthe hands of Moses. Whenthe hands of
Moses are uplifted the children of Israelmarch grandly on, and when they
drop down in their weaknessthe Amalakites spring forward, and neither good
generalshipnor hard fighting cankeepthem back. The secretof all true
poweris with God. We, men, cannot wipe off evil in our own strength or
might, but God will drive it out. Not by a miracle, but He will work through
willing men, and do His work thoroughly and well. We know there are
difficulties and dangers in a soldier's life, but amid the difficulties and dangers
we see deliverance;amid sin we see salvation;with the Cross ofChrist before
us we will never despair of men. We will never despair, for the Word tells us
that Christ came into the world, not to condemn it, but to save it. Then, again,
there are surely specialtimes in a soldier's life when he needs special
encouragement. There is war with its many horrors, mangled forms, vast
heaps of dying and wounded; and at such a moment, in such a crisis, the
memory of the Church at home, the hymns sung, the prayers offered, the
teaching received, comes back and lightens up the darkesthour of a soldier's
life. It tells him of hope in unexplored dangers, and in the lastgreat dangerof
all, death. I have listened with tearful eyes from all sorts of men's lips of such
strength being given them in hours of danger from hymns they have sung.
Some thought comes, some stray thought, as it seems, which the Holy Spirit
brings into their minds, that in the garrisontowns of England prayers are

being offered up for them. This thought comes in and gives the man a new
gleamof hope, new thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven. There is a touching
incident in one of the books which Mrs. Ewing wrote about soldiers. She could
enter into their tenderestfeelings better than most people. She knew, too, by
constantexperience with soldiers, whatreligious associations coulddo for
them, and what a powerthe Church of Christ, with its hymns, prayers,
sacraments, andministrations, could be to them. Jackanapes laydying on the
battlefield. He had given his life for another, as many a soldier has done.
There stood by him his old major. Jackanapessaid, "Saya prayer for me, a
Church prayer. A Church prayer on parade service, you know." But the old
major was not used to prayer and praise, and he could only say, "Jaconite,
God forgive me, I am afraid I am very different to what some of you young
fellows are." And there was a moment of silence, deep silence and terrible
pain, and then the old major said with that charming simplicity which we so
often find, "I can only repeatthe little one at the end." Impressedwith the
conviction that what he could do, it was his duty to do, the old major knelt
down and unbated his head and said by the dying boy reverently, loudly, and
clearly, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God" — and
then Jackanapesdied, and how could he die better! God's love came before
him at the lastsupreme moment. Oh, there is many a word heard in the
church, heard againand again, falling upon unheeding ears, but which God
hears, and which comes up againat God's appointed time. When an English
soldier like Joshua has to face unexplored dangers, suchwords as the soldier
hears in the church speaking ofthe love of God are so valuable. When the soul
needs them most, when the man is about to fall into the hands of God, whose
characterhe longs to know, then to recall thoughts of the love of God, it is to
such gracious memories as we trust the services in the church will have that
he looks.
(J. C. Edgehill, D. D.)
Jesus our Captain
T. L. Cuyler, D. D.

I. OUR LEADER INSPIRES CONFIDENCE.He has never been defeated. In
one of the Napoleonic battles on the Peninsula a corps of British troops were
sorelypressedand beganto waver. Just then the Duke of Wellingtonrode in
among them. A veteransoldier cried out, "Here comes the Duke, God bless
him! the sight of him is worth a whole brigade." So to the equipped warrior,
under the ensignof the Cross, a sight of Jesus, ourLeader, is a new
inspiration.
II. JESUS IS ABLE TO ASSURE THE VICTORYTO EVERY REDEEMED
SOUL WHO IS LOYAL TO HIM. What a bugle-blast that is which sounded
from the lips of the heroic apostle (Romans 8:37). To be a conqueror is to
vanquish our enemies. But to "more than conquer" is to reap a positive,
spiritual goodfrom the battle itself. If life had no encounters we would
acquire no spiritual sinews.
III. EACH ONE OF US HAS A PERSONALCONFLICT TO WAGE. No
other human being can fight it for us. Some have to contend with a powerful
passion, some with a besetting sin, some with a temptation from without;
others with infernal doubts and abominable suggestions by the adversary.
IV. JESUS MET AND OVERCAME THE DEVIL. He is able to "destroyhis
works."
1. Jesus gives us the only armour which can protectus, and with it He gives
the strength to wield the weapons.
2. Jesus makes intercessionfor us when the battle waxes hot.
3. These conflicts bring us into closer, sweetersympathy with Jesus.
4. He flies to the relief of every redeemed followerwho is ready to perish.
(T. L. Cuyler, D. D.)
Christ the Captain of salvation
J. Parsons.

I. It is important to contemplate the Lord Jesus Christin THE SOURCE OF
HIS AUTHORITY.
1. The authority of the Saviour is founded upon His essentialDivinity.
2. While the authority of the Saviour, as the Captain of all the hosts of the
Lord, is founded upon His essentialDivinity, it is also to be takenas founded
upon His mediatorial office. The specialcharge which He had of the hosts of
the Lord, or the tribes of Israel, in another form of manifestation, must be
regardedevidently and distinctly as the symbol of that covenant relationship
which He holds, throughout all ages oftime, to those who constitute the
spiritual Israeland God's covenantpeople, out of every nation, tribe, and
tongue.
II. THE GLORY OF HIS OBJECTS.
1. These objects are glorious on accountof their intrinsic importance. The
literal object had in view by the Saviour, in the manifestation of Himself to
Joshua, was one of much magnitude — the leading of the tribes Of Israel to
conquestand to the promised land, so that the promise might be fulfilled to
these people, upon which they had been looking now for a long successionof
ages. Butthe Lord Jesus Christ has been revealedas the greatLeader of "the
sacramentalhosts of God's elect";and it should be observed that this
possesses animportance far beyond what, by any human being, hath been
conceived, and demands all that can be rendered of the adorationand praise
of the universe.
2. These objects are glorious by their extended influence. We are all aware of
the influence of extent, either in increasing the evil of what is pernicious or in
increasing the value of what is beneficial. According to the number of persons
affectedby a curse, we assignthe magnitude of that curse; and according to
the number of persons affectedby a blessing, we assignthe magnitude of that
blessing. Let this principle be applied to the theme on which we now are
meditating, and new honour will be found to be given to those objects which
are proposedby the greatCaptain and Leader of the hosts of the Lord.
III. THE CERTAINTYOF HIS TRIUMPH.

1. The grounds of this.
(1)His Divinity.
(2)His promises.
2. We must also recollectthat the certainty of this triumph must also be
connectedwith the exercise ofcertain influences over those minds who are
interestedin it. And if the triumph we anticipate in connectionwith our own
salvationbe secure, one influence to be inspired is that of —
(1)Obedience;
(2)fortitude;
(3)gratitude.
(J. Parsons.)
R. Young, M. A.
I. THAT BEFORE UNDERTAKING ANY DIFFICULT ENTERPRISE,
INDEED IN ALL OUR TRIALS AND DISTRESSES, IN ALL OUR WAYS,
WE SHOULD DIRECT OUR THOUGHTS TO HEAVEN. Joshua "lifted up
his eyes" to heaven, from whence he knew that his help would in due time
come. So should our eyes not be loweredto the "earthly, sensual, devilish,"
but be lifted up to the noble, holy, pure.
II. THAT THE HELP OF GOD IS NOT MERELY TO BE PASSIVELY
RECEIVED, BUT IS TO BE ACTIVELY SOUGHT FOR. Joshua not only
lifted up his eyes:he also "looked." Godhelps those that help themselves. Men
should all be, not merely idle waiters on God's bounty, but really "workers
togetherwith Him."
III. THAT CHRIST IS EVER READY TO HELP THOSE THAT LOOK TO
HIM FOR SUCCOUR. The Captain of the Lord's host "stoodoveragainst
Joshua with His sword drawn in His hand" — typical of Christ, prepared to

afford His omnipotent aid to all who are fighting manfully under His banner,
and striving by His grace to continue faithful.
IV. THAT WHEN FAITH HAS MADE KNOWN TO US HEAVENLY
TRUTHS, REASON MUST DISCLOSE TO US THE EXACT BEARING OF
THOSE TRUTHS. "Art thou for us or for our adversaries?" Bringestthou
with thee airs from heavenor blasts from hell? Be thy intents wickedor
charitable? Many a noble human soul, like statelygalley, has been lured to
destruction by "phantom ships" in "the spirit land."
V. THAT IN THE LIGHT OF ETERNITYEARTHLY CONFLICTS ARE
PALTRY AND UNIMPORTANT.Sectarianismmust ceasewhenChristianity
reigns.
VI. THAT HONOUR SHOULD BE GIVEN WHERE HONOUR IS DUE.
Joshua "fell on his knees,"&c.
VII. THAT OBEDIENCEIS NOT THE LEAST OF THE CHRISTIAN
VIRTUES. When commanded by the Captain of the Lord's host to "loose his
shoes," &c.,he at once "did so." Obedience is a sign, not of servitude, but of
intelligence.
(R. Young, M. A.)
The true campaign
Homilist.
I. THAT IN THE TRUE CAMPAIGN GOD HAS COMMITTEDTO MAN A
GREAT WORK.
1. An onerous work. We live in a world of evil. Corrupt principles, the mighty
"powers ofdarkness," possess the world. They crowd our sphere of action;
and, alas!they are encamped within us. The work to which we are calledis
their entire extermination, both from within and without.
2. A righteous work. The man who consecrateshis energies to the downfall of
evil, whose life is one earneststruggle againstthe principalities and powers of

darkness, is acting evermore in accordancewith the eternallaw of rectitude.
He is "fighting the good fight of faith," and if he is faithful he shall receive "a
Crown of glory that fadeth not away."
3. An indispensable work. Neverwill you possess the Canaanof spiritual
harmony, moral approbation, self-control, uplifting thoughts, heavenly
affections, ever-brightening hopes, and free and blessedintercourse with the
Infinite Fatherof spirits, without the expulsion of all evil from your soul.
II. THAT IN THE TRUE CAMPAIGN GOD BLESSES MAN WITH A
GREAT LEADER. "The Captain of the Lord's host" — Jesus Christ, "the
Captain of our salvation."
1. As a moral commander He is ever present when needed.
2. As a moral commander He is always ready.
3. As a moral commander He is all-sufficient.
III. THAT IN THE TRUE CAMPAIGN GOD REQUIRES A GREAT
SPIRIT. Joshua here displays —
1. A spirit of indomitable valour.
2. A spirit of reverent inquiry.
3. A spirit of solemn obedience.
(Homilist.)
W. H. Simcox, M. A.
Joshua's question, "Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?"was a perfectly
natural one for him to ask, at the sight of an armed man in an enemy's
country; we canscarcelysayhe did wrong to ask it; but it seems as though the
Lord met the question with something like a rebuke. "He said, Nay." It
seemedto Joshua that there were two sides, his own and the enemy's, between

which the battle was to be fought out: he had to learn that it was not for him
nor for Israel to gain the victory, but for the Lord their God. To teachhim
and all Israelthis more plainly, the Lord gave him specialcommands as to the
way the first victory was to be gained, in the taking of Jericho;this was to be
done, entirely and plainly, by God and not by man; and for all the war that
followed, though more was to depend upon human prudence and courage,
they were still to know that they were fighting, not for themselves, but for
their Lord; that they were not at liberty to actas they pleased, but were to act
in entire obedience to Him. Is not this a lessonwhich we require to learn in the
war we have to fight againstthe powerof sin within and about us? The
recognitionof this would do something to calm and soothe the bitterness of
men's minds about the questions of party that are so fiercely and frequently
argued in our days. And as in public and party questions, so the same fault of
selfwill comes into men's efforts after goodnessin other matters also. Most
people sometimes feelit would be easierfor them to be goodif they were in a
different state of life from what they are, if they lived in a different societyor
neighbourhood, if their family circumstances were different; if they had
different business or employment in life, and the like; and they often set down
their own faults, as far as they are aware of them, to the blame of their
neighbours or of the circumstances that they think are the greathindrances to
their curing them. This is nothing but claiming to ourselves the right to
command the Lord's host, instead of fighting in it as simple soldiers, whose
duty only is to obey orders. Are we to expectthe Lord to be "for us," not only
so that He means and wishes us to getthe victory, but so that He shall take
every means that we choose to secure it, shall serve under our command, and
make bridges over all the steepvalleys and roads through all the different
passes,and give us the chance of fighting the enemy just on our own ground,
when we choose andwhere we choose?There is one source of difficulty in the
way of duty of which it is especiallywrong to complain or to want to have it
altered so as to suit us, though it is perhaps the commonestof all — I mean
the difficulties we find to our own right conduct from the conduct of other
people. Here, if we ask whether the Lord is "for us or for our adversaries,"
the only possible answeris, "Forboth." He loves both equally. God gave
Joshua and the Israelites the victory overthe Canaanites only "by little and
little," for this reasonamong others — that He desiredto spare the

Canaanites themselves as much as possible, and to give them time to repent if
they would. Much more is it wrong and selfishfor us to want any of our
fellow-Christians sweptout of our way — to think of them as mere spiritual
enemies, or expectGod to dealwith them as mere temptations to ourselves,
and hindrances to our owngoodness. Patienceandsub mission to God's will
are the foundation of all excellencein the Christian character;just as
discipline, and ready and unquestioning obedience are the most important of
all qualities in an army of this world. It is when things are againstyou that
your mind is tried and trained; you have to make the best of them, but you are
not tempted to "seekgreatthings for yourself"; if you escapedisasteryou will
be satisfied, and that is hard enough. Now it cannot be useless forus to
remember in our spiritual war, if we find things are againstus, and that the
operations in which we are engagedare unsuccessful, that it was under these
conditions that the Captain of the Lord's host Himself fought out His great
battle on earth. Judging it in a natural way, His life was a failure, His ministry
a failure. He had fought the world for God, and had lostthe battle. But His
faith and obedience did not fail — rather it was perfectedby His defeat. He
still went on fearlesslyuntil He had finished the work Godgave Him to do:
then He said, "It is finished!" and bowed His head and gave up the ghost. And
then He had conquered. Let us, then, not be discouragedif we find that He
gives us work to do that we do not like, or in which we do not see our way to
success. It may be only that He means us so to win glory like His own — such
as is won by the highest faith in Him, the faith that removes mountains. But
whether that be so or not, we have to acceptHis orders and obey them. Do
your duty patiently, and trust God for its having a goodevent.
(W. H. Simcox, M. A.)
The vision for the greatcampaign
A. B. Mackay.
See the British fleet lying anchoredat Spithead. It is in commissionfor an
important expedition. Every ship has orders to be ready to sailat a moment's
notice. Accordingly all are ready. Every officer, every man, every boy is

aboard. The captains are assuredthat every preparation is completed; that all
stores of every description are laid in; that steam is up, and that in a moment
their ships can be under weigh. Why, then, do they not hurry seaward? Is not
this delay a waste ofprecious time? No, for the admiral is not yet on board the
flagship. The supreme, responsible, directing mind, on whose energyand
ability the whole nation is depending, is not yet at his post. See, here he comes.
Every ship acknowledgesthe little craft that bears his flag; he steps on the
quarter-deck of the vesselhe commands, the signalfor departure is hoisted;
all are off. Such an event as that will give some idea of the meaning of this
part of the sacrednarrative. Israel has receivedorders to enter on this
momentous campaign. All things are ready for a beginning. They have crossed
the river; they have been circumcised;they have kept the feast;they have
partakenof the corn of the land; why, then, this pause? Becausethey waitfor
Him who is their Captain. Here on the plains of Jericho the typical Saviour
and the true Joshua and Jesus, standface to face. Yea, Joshua's work atthat
time was the work of Jesus;was the work of Jesus so peculiarly and definitely
that Joshua must wait on Him for instructions. He who came the lowly Lamb
comes here the mighty warrior, with a sword of judgment drawn and
gleaming in His awful hand. He who came to save comes to destroy. This
vision makes very emphatic what was clearly revealedbefore, viz., that this
campaignis under the Divine sanctionand direction. Divine skill plans the
work. Divine power carries it forward.
I. BEHOLD OUR CAPTAIN. We have a Leader in this greatwar. We are not
left to fight alone;herein lies our comfort. "He goeth before." We go not a
warfare at our own charges. IfJoshua was unfit for that conquest of Canaan
by himself, how much more are we unfit for the fight againstprincipalities
and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places. ForJoshua, Jesuscame,
"The Captain of the Lord's host." Forus Jesus comes"the Captain of
salvation." And it is a comfort to think that this Leader of the people is one of
the people Himself. In any war, which is the captain whom the soldiers love to
follow? He who shares their lot most closely — he who, like Skobeleffin the
Turkish war, knows all their hardships and privations. He who sleeps with
them in the trenches, eats the same coarse andscanty rations, and leads them
into the thickestof the fight. Now, this greatCaptain of whom we speak acts

in this very fashion, tie has shared our lot in every particular, howeverhard,
sin excepted. Also, like the warrior that appearedto Joshua, our Leaderis
thoroughly equipped for His work. His hand is drawn ready to smite. The
word of truth is the royal weaponHe wields in this war of grace and salvation;
quick, powerful, sharp, effectual. He puts it in the hands of every faithful
followerand bids him use it well. Again, Jesus is our Leaderin virtue of
Divine appointment: "The government shall be upon His shoulders." "To
Him shall the gathering of the people be." Moreover, He is Captain in virtue
of His own purchase. Jesus has the right to lead God's people, because He has
died for them. He is made perfect, as the Captain of salvation, through
suffering. Also He is our leader because ofHis own resources. Theseare
infinite. Lastly, we would say, He is Leader because ofHis qualities. He is an
able Leader, thoroughly fit to command God's army, a true King of men,
always present, always ready. He is faithful to His word; wise in His plans;
glorious in His achievements;ravishing in His perfections.
II. See here also the FAITHFUL FOLLOWER. We know that Joshua stands
prepared to follow this greatCaptain, because we remember his past
obedience. By doing whateverduty comes to hand, under the eye of the great
Leader, we prepare for higher achievements. Joshua's heartis also in his
work. He is not slothful and indifferent. He is not careless andunconcerned.
He is not fearful and oppressed, with no stomachfor the fight. Thus the
followerof Jesus should be a willing worker, full of energy and watchfulness,
ever on the alert to do whatever in him lies to extend the Saviour's kingdom.
Joshua is also brave. When this warrior startedup before him, though he was
startled he was not unmanned. Without moral courage there canbe no
nobility of character, no strength of soul, no effective work. And this brave
man is also humble. He fell on his face before this majestic Presence. He was
deeply consciousofthe superiority of his Leader and of his ownnothingness.
Therefore his heart is also filled with reverence. He worshipped before Him.
He took the shoes off his feet, for the place was holy. Men who have done
anything greatfor God, men who have followedthe Lord fully, have been
always marked by a spirit of deepestreverence. The gravity, the solemnity of
the work in which they are engaged, the consciousnessofthe Divine presence
before which they walk, fills them with awe. Joshua was also docile and

obedient. He put the question, "What wilt Thou have me to do?" And when
he got the answerhe did as he was commanded. Unquestioning, prompt
obedience is due to Him who commands us with such unerring wisdom, who
leads us with such invincible might.
(A. B. Mackay.)
An inspiring vision
J. Robertson.
Constantine, with his young, enthusiastic heart, was setting out on his war
campaigns, when, they tell us, the appearance of the sky arrestedhis
attention. As the eyes of the conquerorlookedup into the heavens, behold,
there seemedshaped to his vision a cross offire, and beneath it, in letters of
flame, were inscribed the Latin words, "In hoc signo vinces" ("In this sign
thou wilt conquer"). It may have been a dream — it very likely was;but oh,
there is truth in it! If you can see the Cross, youhave got the vision that
ennobles and enlivens, and brings conquering powerto you in this life.
"Where there is no vision, the people perish"; but when there is a vision —
the vision of Calvary, the vision of the Lord Jesus — there is life, there is joy,
there is peace, there is blessing.
(J. Robertson.)
Joshua's vision
S. A. Tipple.
There are moments when we see without seeking, whatat other times does not
appear to us, and will not appear. An inward eye that had been closedseems
to open, and we stand suddenly in the presence ofhitherto invisible things.
Midnight, solitude, sorrow, a felt crisis in our lives, what revealings they have
brought with them; and it was as though a veil had been rent in twain, as
though a flash of lightning had illumined the darkness. We all have our

occasionaltransientvisions of something higher, grander, or more solemn
than we are ordinarily sensible of. Joshua has now to begin afresh, in fresh
scenes;another period of toil and endurance is opening before him. So we
stand to-day upon the threshold of another year, waiting, after we have
finished, to commence again. And, as he waited, gravely meditative, with
earnestthoughts stirring in him concerning his duties and responsibilities,
there came upon him the vision of the text; for, unless he had been meditative
and earnest, he would not have beheld what he beheld, we may be sure. It was
the shining answerto what was taking place within him. One sees onlythat
which one is tuned and prepared to see;and, to catchinspiring glimpses, one
must be aspiring. All things must be met by us half-way. For none but those
whose hearts are kindling, does the bush burn with fire. May ours be the
inner temper of mind to-day, to which angels of God shall be able to show
themselves. But notice first the agitationof uncertainty in the breast of the son
of Nun. "Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?" wondering anxiously what
the apparition meant. You see, this was the form in which the future in the
strange country appeared — a mighty man with a drawn swordin his hand.
Yes, of course the future would be filled with the clashof war. Nothing but
conflict could be expected; conflict perhaps, severe and prolonged; but what
of the issue? with whom would the victory lie? with Israelor the enemy? Ah,
if he could but tell. Mystic form of the Future, wilt thou revealit to me? And it
is with like uncertainty that we front now the new year. We have most of us
lived long enough — we most of us know enough of life to discern, as we lift
our eyes, a man with a drawn swordin his hand. That there will be more or
less of disagreeableand trying encounter, is sure. We shall have difficulties to
grapple with, in the sweatof our face. Temptations will assailus; vexations
and annoyances will have to be borne. But will it be, upon the whole, one of
our happy and prosperous years? Shall we get through it, howeverthreatened
or assaulted, untitled and unharmed, without being sore wounded or
overthrown in the way. The characterof past years has varied. Some,
notwithstanding many little rufflings and unpleasantnesses experiencedin
them, we have lookedback upon with satisfactionand thankfulness, and have
calledthem good years. Ah, we did well in them. They were marked by much
sunshine. Our enterprises prospered;our friendships yielded only sweetness.
Other years, perhaps, we were glad to have done with. They are remembered

as black years, in which the sun shone only at rare intervals, and for a brief
space, betweenever-returning clouds. The years have varied with us. In some,
if we have had to fight, we have conquered. In others, the tide of battle has
rolled againstus, leaving us broken and mauled. "New yearcoming on apace,
what hast thou to give me? Comestthou promising peace and brightness, or
big with thunder and gloom?" We ask in vain, as Joshua did when he cried,
"Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?"Forobserve, that question of his
was not replied to. "Nay," saidthe armed angel, "I am no token, no prophecy
of that, one way or the other." But what does he say to the wistfully inquiring
man? "As the captainof the host of the Lord I am now come." Here, then,
was what Joshua saw, presently, in looking forward to the future. Not what
was going to happen — not the victory or the defeat to which he was destined
in marching againstthe Canaanites;but, that it would not be himself alone at
the head of the Hebrew army; that One would be there, superintending and
disposing, ordering and commanding, whom the people beheld not, even the
very same angelof Jehovah's presence. He saw himself divinely overlooked
and attended; planning, manoeuvring, fighting to the best of his ability, as the
chosengeneral, under the constanteye and controlof an unseen
Generalissimo, who had His purposes, whose purposes were goodand right,
and would be always fulfilling themselves in and through all. It was thus that
the Future answeredhis appeal, "What hast thou hidden for us in thy thick
darkness?"It answered, "Godis here — caring, managing, ruling to the end;
the Godof Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob." An inspiring vision, to have
been borne in upon him as he stoodalone in the plain, with the grim
fortifications of Jericho frowning down on him, and thought of the work to be
done, with its difficulties and dangers. Better, surely, than any glimpse or
foreshadowing ofcoming events would have been. And if we be able to receive
it, what can be more inspiring for us in our entrance upon the unknown laud
of a new year than the vision, not merely of an existence in the universe over
and above all phenomena, and producing and sustaining them; but of a living
Being, transcendentin wisdom and goodness, whosepurpose is our education
and the education of the world, and who is working evermore, in whatever
happens, in whateverchances and changes may befall, to forward it; of One
who is not only with us in our doings and sufferings, our aspirations and
struggles, our mistakes and stumblings, but in them with continuous tuitional

intent; under whom we are pursuing our ends, by whom, in all paths, we are
led, in whose kingdom we are from morn to eve, let it be with us as it may.
Many earnestsouls around us are starting afreshto-day, as they have come
through the yearthat is gone, with no such vision. Joshua's angeldoes not
manifest itself to them. Lifting their eyes, they behold nothing but the walls of
Jericho and the encampment of Israel, and over all, an empty sky. Norare
they the less ready for the battle, or the less patient and strong, hopeful and
brave, in essaying to conquer. And we may be sure too, that guidance and help
from above, is theirs; for the presence and energyof the Captain of the Lord's
host does not depend upon men's seeing Him. He is not absent or inoperative
because they are unable to discern Him. Nevertheless, happy are they to
whom He is visible. Let us be thankful then, if to-day, as we are girding our
loins anew for the work of life, and for whatever life may bring — let us be
thankful if we canbehold with Joshua the angelof Jehovah's presence,and, in
setting out, pause a little to entertain and foster the strengthening vision. "But
what saith my Lord to His servant?" criedthe son of Nun when he felt the
august Presenceabouthim, and bowed himself to the ground before it. "What
saith my Lord to His servant? Ah! now that I have Thee here; now that Thou
art revealedto me in the way, speak to me; tell me something. Surely, I shall
hear some greatthing from Thy lips — surely, some greatsecretwill be
whispered to me. With the Invisible Powerthus consciouslynigh me, I may
expectwondrous words, important disclosures."We canunderstand and
sympathise with the expectation, can we not? What might not God Almighty
tell, we are apt to think, if He were once found speaking. So thought Joshua,
waiting in awedanticipation with his face to the earth. And from the mystic
Presence overshadowing him, what syllables fell? What was it that he heard to
whom it grew vocal? "Loosethy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon
thou standestis holy." Was that all? That was all. No declaring of things that
had been kept hidden, no weightyrevealings. Only a plain and familiar
admonition, to cherish and preserve within him a right temper of mind, a
right spirit — to see to it that he walkedreverently, and cultivated purity, as
one who dwelt in a temple. That was all the heavens told him, when they
leaned towardhim with a word. "Take heedto yourself, to your characterand
conduct; be dutiful, be loyal to the vision that is yours. Recogniseand answer
the claim on you to be holy." And should we be disappointed, were the silent

sky, in sending on a sound, to drop upon our ear no more than such an
admonition as Joshua heard? What, however, do we need so much, for all
present and future benediction, as to be taught a truer, finer ordering of
ourselves? andwhat better, richer, more brightly fruitful new year's gift could
we have from above than a deepenedsense of duty and a fresh impulse toward
reverent and noble living? Yes, oh yes, "Blessedare the lowly in spirit; theirs
is the kingdom of heaven. Blessedare the pure in heart; they shall see God."
(S. A. Tipple.).
COMMENTARIES
BensonCommentary
Joshua 5:14. As captain of the Lord’s host — Captain of this people, and I will
conduct and assistthee and them in this greatundertaking. Now this person
was evidently not a createdangel, but the Sonof God, who went along with
the Israelites in this expedition, as their chief and captain. And this appears,
1st, By his acceptanceofadoration here, which a createdangelwould not have
dared to admit of, Revelation22:8; Revelation9:2 d, Becausethe place was
made holy by his presence, (Joshua 5:15,)which to do was God’s prerogative,
Exodus 3:5. 3d, Becausehe is calledthe Lord. Hebrew, Jehovah;chap. Joshua
6:2. My Lord — I acknowledgethee for my Lord and captain, and therefore
wait for thy commands, which I am ready to obey.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
5:13-15 We read not of any appearance ofGod's glory to Joshua till now.
There appeared to him one as a man to be noticed. This Man was the Son of
God, the eternal Word. Joshua gave him Divine honours: he receivedthem,
which a createdangelwould not have done, and he is called Jehovah, chap.
6:2. To Abraham he appeared as a traveller; to Joshua as a man of war.
Christ will be to his people what their faith needs. Christ had his sword

drawn, which encouragedJoshua to carry on the war with vigour. Christ's
sworddrawn in his hand, denotes how ready he is for the defence and
salvationof his people. His swordturns every way. Joshua will know whether
he is a friend or a foe. The cause betweenthe Israelites and Canaanites,
betweenChrist and Beelzebub, will not admit of any man's refusing to take
one part or the other, as he may do in worldly contests. Joshua'sinquiry
shows an earnestdesire to know the will of Christ, and a cheerful readiness
and resolutionto do it. All true Christians must fight under Christ's banner,
and they will conquer by his presence and assistance.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Captain of the host of the Lord - i. e. of the angelic host, the host of heaven
(compare 1 Kings 22:19;1 Samuel 1:3, etc.). The armed people of Israel are
never called "the hostof the Lord," though once spokenof in Exodus 12:41 as
"all the hosts of the Lord." The Divine Personintimates that He, the Prince
(see the marginal references)of the Angels had come to lead Israelin the
coming strife, and to overthrow by heavenly might the armies and the
strongholds of God's and Israel's enemies. Accordingly, the capture of Jericho
and the destruction of the Canaanites generallyform a fit type of a grander
and more complete conquestand excisionof the powers of evil which yet waits
accomplishment. (Compare with this verse Matthew 25:31;2 Thessalonians
1:7-8.)
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
14. the hostof the Lord—either the Israelitish people (Ex 7:4; 12:41;Isa 55:4),
or the angels (Ps 148:2), or both included, and the Captain of it was the angel
of the covenant, whose visible manifestations were varied according to the
occasion. His attitude of equipment betokenedhis approval of, and interest in,
the warof invasion.
Joshua fell on his face …, and did worship—The adoption by Joshua of this
absolute form of prostration demonstrates the sentiments of profound
reverence with which the language and majestic bearing of the stranger
inspired him. The real characterof this personage was disclosedby His

accepting the homage of worship (compare Ac 10:25, 26;Re 19:10), and still
further in the command, "Loose thy shoe from off thy foot" (Ex 3:5).
Matthew Poole's Commentary
He said, Nay, I am neither Israelite nor Canaanite.
Captain of the host of the Lord; either,
1. Of all creatures in heaven and earth, which are God’s hosts. Or,
2. Of the angels, who are called the host of heaven,
1 Kings 22:19 2 Chronicles 18:18 Luke 2:13. Or,
3. Of the host or people of Israel, which are calledthe Lord’s host, Exodus
12:41. The sense is, I am the chief Captain of this people, and will conduct and
assistthee and them in this greatundertaking. Now this personis none other
than Michaelthe Prince, Daniel10:21 12:1; not a createdangel, but the Son of
God, who went along with the Israelites in this expedition, 1 Corinthians 10:4;
not surely as an underling, but as their Chief and Captain. And this appears,
1. By his acceptance ofadorationhere, which a createdangeldurst not admit
of, Revelation22:8,9.
2. Becausethe place was made holy by his presence, Exodus 3:15, which was
God’s prerogative, Exodus 3:5.

3. Becausehe is calledthe Lord, Heb. Jehovah, Joshua 6:2. What saith my
lord unto his servant? I acknowledgethee for my Lord and Captain, and
therefore wait for thy commands, which I am ready to obey.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And he said, nay,.... Not for or on the side of their adversaries was he come, as
Joshua suspectedatthe first sight of him; the Septuagint versionis, "he said
unto him", taking for as it sometimes is:
but as Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come;of the host of the Lord
both in heaven and in earth, angels and men, and particularly of the people of
Israel, calledthe armies and host of the Lord, Exodus 7:4; so that though
Joshua was general, Christwas Generalissimo;and so Joshua understood
him, and therefore showeda readiness to do whatsoeverhe should command
him; the spiritual Israelof God, the church, is in a militant state, and has
many enemies to combat with, sin, Satan, the world, and false teachers;Christ
is their Leader and Commander, the Captain of their salvation, and has all
necessaryqualifications or wisdom, courage, andmight, for such an office; see
Isaiah55:4,
and Joshua fell on his face to the earth; in reverence of this divine and
illustrious Person, whomhe perceivedto be what he was:
and did worship; gave him religious worship and adoration, which had he
been a createdangelhe would not have given to him, nor would such an one
have receivedit, Revelation19:10,
and said unto him, what saith my Lord unto his servant? that is, what
commands had he to lay upon him, and he was ready to execute them? he was
heartily willing to be subject to him as the chief generalof the Israelitish
forces, and to considerhimself, and behave, as an officer under him, and to
obey all orders that should be given.
Geneva Study Bible

And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And
Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and {g} did worship, and said unto him,
What saith my lord unto his servant?
(g) In that Joshua worships him, he acknowledgeshim to be God: and in that
he calls himself the Lord's captain he declares himself to be Christ.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
14. as captain] or rather, Prince of the host of Jehovah, i.e. of the Angelic
Host, the Host of heaven. “I am prince of þe oostof þe Lord,” Wyclif.
Compare the expressions “Jehovahof hosts,” ormore fully “Jehovah, Lord of
hosts” (Jeremiah5:14; Jeremiah 15:16;Isaiah6:3; Psalm 24:10;Psalm 80:7;
Psalm80:19). “Notas mingling with these earthly hosts, but as they follow in a
higher order; as the mighty one in heavenly places ofwhom thou art here and
now on earth the type and shadow;as He whom all the Angels worship, as the
Uncreated Angel of the Covenant, as the Captain of the heavenly host of God,
have I come to thee.” Bp Wilberforce’s Heroes ofHebrew History, p. 148.
Comp. 1 Samuel 1:3; 1 Kings 22:19. The Prince of the Angels of heaven had
come to lead Israel in the impending strife.
And Joshua fell on his face]Compare the attitude (a) of Abraham before God
(Genesis 17:3);(b) of his brethren before Joseph(Genesis 42:6);(c) of Moses
at the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:6). It does not necessarilyand of itself imply
worship, though such is intended here.
What saith my lord …?] The revelation, with which Joshua was now
favoured, forcibly recalls the incident of the “Burning Bush” at Horeb. Not
howeverin fiery flame, but in the personof a seeminglyhuman warrior, was
the Divine Presence manifestedto the leaderof the armies of Israel. Thus the
first and the secondJoshua met, and the Type fell prostrate before the
Antitype.

Pulpit Commentary
Verse 14. - And he said, Nay. Many MSS. which are followedby the LXX. and
Syriac versions, have ‫ול‬ for ‫א‬ ‫ו‬ here. The Chaldee and Vulgate read ‫א‬ ‫,ו‬ and the
Masorites do not reckonthis among the 15 passagesin which ‫ול‬ is read for ‫א‬ ‫ו‬
(Keil). But when Keil adds that a comparisonof this passagewith Joshua
24:21 decides the point, he is going too far, since ‫כ‬ ִּ‫י‬ often stands, like the Greek
ὅτι, before a quotation, in the place of our inverted commas (see, for instance,
Genesis 29:33;Exodus 3:12, etc.). The various reading has no doubt arisen
from the ambiguity of the passage, forit appears grammatically doubtful to
which part of Joshua's questionthe particle of negation applies. Yet it is
obvious enough practicallythat it is in answerto the last portion of it. But as
captain of the Lord's host am I now come. Literally, "for (or but) I, the
captain of the Lord's host, have now come." As though he would say, "the
struggle is now imminent; the conflict is all but begun; and now, at the critical
moment when my help is needed, I, the captain of the hosts of the Lord, the
leaderof all that vast army of unseen confederates, who are destined to
marshal the forces ofnature, the elements of supernatural terror and dismay,
on the side of the Israelites, amcome to help you." That the Lord's host must
mean the angels is clearfrom such passagesas Genesis32:2;1 Kings 22:19;
Psalm103:20, 21;Psalm 148:2;St. Luke 2:13 (aft 2 Kings 6:17).
Hengstenberg, in his 'Christology,'illustrates by Matthew 26:53. Two
opinions have been held by the early Church concerning this manifestation.
The first regards it as the appearance of the Son of God in a visible form; the
secondsupposes it to have been a createdbeing - an angel - through whom
Jehovahwas pleasedto manifest Himself. The former opinion was generalin
the earliestages ofthe Church. The appearance of the Arian heresy, however,
brought this interpretation into discredit. It was felt to be dangerous to admit
it, lestit should lead to the notion that the Logos, howevergreatand glorious a
being he might be, howeversuperior to all other createdbeings, was
nevertheless removedby an infinite interval from the Supreme God Himself.
The Jewishinterpreters differ on the point. Maimonides and others (see next
note) do not regard the appearance as a realone. The majority seemto have
supposedit to have been the Archangel Michael. We will proceedto examine
the scriptural and patristic evidence on the subject. That appearances,

believed to be manifestations of God Himself in a visible form, are recordedin
Scripture, is a fact which cannot be denied. Thus we have the voice of God ( ‫לו‬
‫ְי‬‫ל‬‫יא‬ָ‫)כ‬walking in the garden (Genesis 3:8). Again, in ch. 15, though first God
appears to Abraham in a vision, the nature of the manifestationwould seemto
have changedin some respects afterwards, forwe read" he brought him forth
abroad" (ver. 5). Again, in ch. 18, we find that Jehovah"appeared" to
Abraham as he dwelt by the oaks ofMature (ver. 1), and the narrative would
suggestthat JehovahHimself appeared, and two attendant angels. This is
further corroboratedby the fact that Abraham remains in conference with
Jehovah, while the two angels who arrived in the evening at Sodom do not
appear to have been spokenof as Jehovah, or to have received Divine honours
from Lot. The "man" who (Genesis 32:24)wrestledwith Jacobis described
afterwards (ver. 30) as "God." The "angelof the Lord" who (Exodus 3:2)
"appeared" unto Moses "ina flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush," is
immediately afterwards describedas Jehovahand Elohim (ver. 4), and, as in
the presentpassage,Moses is instructed to remove his shoe from his foot in
consequence ofthe holiness of the place in which so greata Being appeared.
And here we are led to investigate the nature of that mysterious being who is
describedas "the angelof the Lord," the "angel," or, as the word is
sometimes translated, "messengerofthe covenant." He appears to Hagar
(Genesis 16:7), and she immediately proceeds (ver. 13) to express her belief
that it is God whom she has seen. The angelwho appears to Abraham at the
sacrifice ofIsaac (Genesis 22:11, 12, 18)speaksofHimself as God. The voice
of the angel, again, is regardedby Leah and Rachelas the voice of God
(Genesis 31:11, 16), and He calls Himself so (ver. 13). Jacobspeaks ofthe
angelas having "redeemedhim from all evil" (Genesis 48:16), but here the
term Goel, though it means a ransomer, is not necessarilyconnectedwith
moral evil. After His appearance to Hoses in the bush He becomes the special
guide of the children of Israel. His divinity is againassertedin Exodus 13:21,
for the Being there spokenofas Jehovahis describedin Joshua 14:19 as His
angel. The solemnterms in which the God of Israelrefers to him in Exodus
23:20, 21 must not be passedover. He is the "Angelof Jehovah." He is sent to
"keep" Israel"in the way." They were to take heedand not rebel againstHim
(so LXX.); for, adds Jehovah, "My name is in His inward parts" (not ‫ול‬ but
‫ול‬ ִָ ִּ ָ‫ו‬ denoting close and intimate union). Cf. ver. 93 and Exodus 32:34;

Exodus 33:2. This angel is calledthe Face, orFaces, ofthe Lord (Exodus
33:14;cf. Isaiah 63:9), and is thus specially identified with the revelation of
Him, like the term εἰκών in the New Testament. The angelthat withstood
Balaamassumes a tone of authority in harmony with this view (Numbers
22:22-35). Whetherthe angelat Bochim (Judges 2:1) were a Divine or human
messengerdoes notappear from the narrative, and the word is occasionally,
as in Haggai1:13, used of a prophet. But the appearance to Gideon and
Manoahhas a Divine character(Judges 6:11-22;Judges 13:8-22). And the
specialreference to Jehovah, the angel of the covenant, in Malachi3:1 seems
to point in a specialmanner to the SecondPersonin the BlessedTrinity. This
view, as has been stated, is the view of the earlier Fathers, nor does there seem
any reasonable groundfor its rejectionby those of later date. The idea that
the Logos, always the medium of the Father's revelationand impartation of
Himself, in creationas in redemption, frequently took a visible form under the
old dispensationin order to communicate the Divine will to mankind, does not
in the leastmilitate againstthe doctrine of His consubstantialitywith the
Father. On the contrary, it rather emphasises the fact which the New
Testamentteaches us throughout, that the Logos was everthe manifestation,
the ἐξήγησις (John 1.) of the Father, the eternal medium whereby He
communicates Himself beyond Himself. This was in the main the view of the
earliestFathers. Theymight use an incautious expressionnow and then, but
they ever intended to be true to the doctrine of the ConsubstantialSon of the
Father, who took a visible shape to convey the Father's mind to man. Thus
Justin Martyr ('Dial. cum Tryphone,' 56) cites Genesis 18:1, 2 to prove that,
as he says, "there is another God under (ὑπὸ) the the Creatorof all things,
who is calledan angelbecause he announces (ἀγγέλειν) whatever the Creator
of all things desires him to announce." This being, he adds, "was also God
before the creationof the world." He was anotherGod than the Creatorof the
world in number (ἀριθμῷ), not in mind (γνώμῃ). And from the expression
"the Lord rained down fire and brimstone from the Lord out of heaven"
(Genesis 19:24), he deduces the belief that this Being was "Lord from beside
(παρά) the Lord who is in heaven." He proceeds to cite the passagesfrom the
Old Testamentwhich have just been mentioned, and to draw from them the
conclusionwhich has just been drawn, that this Being was one who ministered
(ὑπηρέτοῦντα)to God who is above;the word, the ἀρχή whom He begat

before all creation(see. 60, 61). Similarly Theophilus ('Ad Autolycum, 2:22)
says that the Word of God held a colloquy with Adam in the person (or
representation, προσώπῳ) of God. Irenaeus ('Adv. Haer.,'4:7, 4) speaks ofthe
Being who spake to Abraham at Mamre and Moses in the bush as superior to
all createdangels, and as, in fact, the Word of God; though afterwards
(Joshua 20:11)he modifies this statementinto a manifestationof "claritatem
et dispositiones patris," "secundum dispositionum ejus causassive
efficaciam." It is to be remembered that we unfortunately chiefly possess
Irenaeus in a very unsatisfactoryLatin dress. Similar passages maybe found
in Clem., 'Alex. Paed.,'1:7; and Tertullian, 'Adv. Prax.,'14. The latter says
that God was "invisible as the Father, but visible as the Son," the latter being
the means whereby the former was revealed. The passagefrom Clement is
embodied and improved upon in a passagein the 'Apostolic Constitutions,'
which presents the primitive doctrine on this point in clearerlanguage than
any other. "To Him (Christ) did Moses bearwitness, and said, 'The Lord
receivedfire from the Lord, and rained it down.' Him did Jacobsee as a man,
and said, 'I have seenGod face to face, and my soul is preserved.'Him did
Abraham entertain, and acknowledgeto be the Judge and his Lord. Him did
Moses seein the bush. Him did Joshua the son of Nun see, as captainof the
Lord's host, for assistance againstJericho"('Apost. Const.,'5:20). One
passagemore will be cited on this point. "Who else," says Origen, in his
Homily on this passage, "is the prince of the host of the virtues of the Lord,
save our Lord Jesus Christ? .... Joshua would not have adored," he adds,
"unless he had recognisedGod." The factthat the later Fathers (St.
Augustine, for instance, and Theodoret, who holds that it was Michaelthe
Archangel who appearedto Joshua)rejectedthis interpretation would not be
sufficient to outweighprimitive testimony at once so explicit and so general,
unless it were supported by the strongestarguments. The factthat it was
rejectedrather from prudential motives, and that such prudence was, in point
of fact, entirely unnecessary, robs the later interpretation of much of its
weight. Thus much at leastis certain, that we may adopt the earlier one
without fear of prejudicing thereby the doctrine of the divinity of Christ.
Further information on this point will be found in Hengstenberg's
'Christology,'in Liddon's 'Bampton Lectures'(Lect. it.), in Bull ('Defens. Fid.
Nicen.,'1:1), and in Keil's Commentaries upon the various passages ofthe Old

Testament, citedabove. "He here appeared as a soldier, with His sword
drawn in His hand. To Abraham in his tent He appeared as a traveller; to
Joshua in the field, as a man of war. Christ will be to His people what their
faith expects and desires" (Matthew Henry). And Joshua fell on his face. The
apparition had no doubt taken Joshua by surprise. He believed himself to be
alone, when suddenly he found himself confronted by a warrior, with his
sworddrawn. Uncertain, in those days when Divine interposition was more
common than it is now, whether what he saw was a proof that he was watched
by enemies, who had resolvedto cut him off by surprise, or whether God had
vouchsafedto appear to him, but evidently quite prepared to expect the latter,
he addresses a question to the apparition, which of itself implies at leasta half
belief that what he saw was something above nature. He needs but the simple
reply just recordedto lead him to prostrate himself in simple faith before the
Mighty One who now stood before him to be the defence and shield of His
people from all their adversaries. Maimonides, in his 'Moreh Nevochim,' and
others (as, for instance, Hengstenberg, 'Geschichte des ReichesGottes,'p. 209)
have regardedthis as a vision seenby Joshua when he was alone, plunged in
deep meditation on the difficult task before him. But without denying that
many of the. Divine interpositions recordedin Scripture (as, for instance, that
in Genesis 22:1)took place through the inner workings of the mind as the
medium of their action, yet here, as in Genesis 32, and most probably in
Exodus 3, we have visible appearancesofGod to men in deep anxiety of heart,
pondering "greatmatters" which were "too high for them." Whether we
choose to acceptor rejectthe historical narrative as a whole, there canbe no
rational ground for doubting that the Hebrew historians wrote under the full
persuasionthat they and their forefathers lived under a dispensationof
continual Divine interpositions, sometimes taking place by secretinward
intimations, sometimes through the Urim and Thummim; sometimes, ata
crisis in the history of the nation or of an individual, by actualexternal
appearances ofGodin a visible form, and that we have here an accountof one
of these. The purport of the appearance is, however, obscuredby our present
division of chapters. The narrative proceeds without a break as far as Joshua
6:5. Joshua 6:1 is simply parenthetical and explanatory. Thus we gatherthat
Joshua was meditating the plan of his future campaign, and deliberating on
the bestmode of capturing the strong walled city close by which (ver. 13) he

stood, when God appearedto him in the form of a warrior, and solvedall his
doubts by commanding him to prepare for a miraculous intervention of His
Providence, and in the place of warlike expedients to resort to a religious
ceremony, which should be the external tokento all the surrounding nations
that the invading hostwas under the protection of the Lord of heaven and
earth; a fact of which they were more than half convincedby the supernatural
passageofthe Red Sea and the Jordan(see Joshua 2:10; Joshua 6:1).
Keil and DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament
When the rite of circumcisionhad been performed upon them all, the people
remained quietly in the camp till those who were circumcisedhad recovered.
"They abode in their places," i.e., satstill as they were, without attempting
anything. ‫,יכח‬ to revive (Genesis 45:27;Job 14:14), or recover(2 Kings 1:2; 2
Kings 8:8, etc.). The circumcision of the people could not be performed earlier
than the day after the crossing ofthe Jordan, i.e., according to Joshua 4:19,
not earlierthan the 11th day of the first month. Now, as the passoverwas to
be kept, and actually was kept, on the 14th (Joshua 5:10), the two accounts are
said to be irreconcilable, and the accountof the circumcisionhas been set
down as a later and unhistorical legend. But the objections made to the
historicalcredibility of this account - viz., that the suffering consequentupon
circumcisionmade a personill for severaldays, and according to Genesis
34:25 was worston the third day, so that the people could not have kept the
passoveron that day, and also that the people could not possibly have been all
circumcisedon one day - are founded upon false assumptions. In the latter,
for example, the number of persons to be circumcised is estimated, most
absurdly, at a million; whereas, according to the generallaws of population,
the whole of the male population of Israel, which contained only 601,730of
twenty years of age and upwards, besides 23,000Levites of a month old and
upwards, when the census was takena short time before in the steppes of
Moab, could not amount to more than a million in all, and of these between
280,000 and330,000were thirty-eight years old, and therefore, having been
born before the sentence was pronouncedupon the nation at Kadesh, and for
the most part before the exodus from Egypt, had been already circumcised, so
that there were only 670,000,orat the most 720,000,to be circumcisednow.
Consequently the proportion betweenthe circumcisedand uncircumcised was

one to three or three and a half; and the operationcould therefore be
completed without any difficulty in the course of a single day. As regards the
consequencesofthis operation, Genesis 34:25 by no means proves that the
pain was most acute on the third day; and even it this really were the case, it
would not prevent the keeping of the passover, as the lambs could have been
killed and prepared by the 280,000or330,000 circumcisedmen; and even
those who were still unwell could join in the meal, since it was only Levitical
uncleanness, and not disease orpain, which formed a legalimpediment to this
(Numbers 9:10.).
(Note:For the basis upon which this computation rests, see Keil's
Commentary on Joshua, p. 139 (Eng. trans. 1857).)
But if there were about 300,000men of the age of forty and upwards who
could not only perform the rite of circumcision upon their sons or younger
brother, but, if necessary, were able at any moment to draw the sword, there
was no reasonwhateverfor their being afraid of an attack on the part of the
Canaanites, evenif the latter had not been paralyzed by the miraculous
crossing ofthe Jordan.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
JOSEPHBENSON
Verse 14
Joshua 5:14. As captain of the Lord’s host — Captain of this people, and I will
conduct and assistthee and them in this greatundertaking. Now this person
was evidently not a createdangel, but the Sonof God, who went along with
the Israelites in this expedition, as their chief and captain. And this appears,

Jesus was captain of the lord's host

Jesus was captain of the lord's host

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